Regulator for gas-engines.



No. 727,564. PATENTED MAY 12, 1903.

V. G. APPLE.- I REGULATOR FOR GAS ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.16, 1901.

z SHEETS-SIIHET 1.

H0 MODEL.

No. 727,564. PATENTED' MAY 12, 1903. v. G. APPLE. I REGULATOR FORYGASENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED 0UT.16, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

i i i I t f UNITED STATES VINCENT G. APPLE,

Patented May 12, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

OF DAYTON, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,564, dated May 12,1903.

Application filed October 16, 1901. Serial No. 78.787. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINCENT G. APPLE, of Dayton, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Regulators for Gas- Engines; and I hereby declare thatthe followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in regulators for gas-engines. Ithas especial reference to a class of regulators or governors forgas-engines in which the regulation is performed by the variation in theintermittent opening of a valve to admit fuel into a cylinder.Controlling the duration of the intermissions between the successiveopenings of the said valve and the number of impulses produced in agiven time constitute the means by which the engine speed is regulatedor governed.

The object of my invention is to provide a means controlled by anelectric current whereby the number of impulses produced by an enginewithin a given time, effected by the number of times that-a fuel-valveis opened for the purpose of admittinga charge within the cylinder of agas-engine, may be varied, controlled, and regulated by the strength ofan electric current generated by the operation of said engine andflowing through electric coils of an electromagn et adapted to controlthe means by which the said valve is operated. Heretofore the variationof the velocity of controlling devices rotated by the power-shaft hasgenerally been relied upon as a'rneans for varying the number ofexplosions within a cylinder of a gasengine Within a given time for thepurpose of regulating the power and speed of the said engine. In devicesof this character it is necessary for the power-shaft to have changedits velocity before the centrifugal elfect of the governing device ischanged and the engine speed thereby varied.

My device is especially designed to be used in connection with agas-engine which is designed to operate an electric dynamo exclusively.The nature of my device is such that the regulating function will havetaken place before the velocity of the shaft has been changed, and forthis reason a much steadier and more constant speed is secured for thepurpose of operating electric lights than is attained by the use of acentrifugal governor.

My invention consists in the features, details of construction, andcombination of parts, which will first be described in connection withthe accompanying drawings and then particularly pointed out in theclaims In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates aconventional gas-engineprovided with my regulator and a conventional dynamo driven by suchengine, the connection of the dynamo with the regulator beingdiagrammatically indicated. Fig. 2 is an elevation of my device, showingit attached to an engine and showing the admission-valve, partly insection. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

In all of the figures the same letters and numerals of referenceindicate similar parts.

E indicates as a whole a gas-engine, andD a dynamo, both shown as ofconventional design.

1 indicates the cylinder of the engine E, provided with a bracket 2 forsupporting the armature 3. A tongue 4, to which the armature isattached, is pivoted in the ball-andsocket joint 5, formed by theextremities of the tongue and the bracket 2, so that said tongue may befreely moved in any direction. A spring 6 is designed to hold the tongue4 in a definite position against the stop 7.

J 8 is an electromagnet provided with terminals 9 and 10 by suitablewiring 10, connected in circuit with a dynamothat is .operated or drivenby the gas-engine to be controlled by my governor. Support 11 is themeans by .which the magnet is held in positionjupon the adjustingthumb-screw l2;

13 is a gage which shows the position of the electromagnet 8 withreference to its armature 3. A rotary cam-shaft 14 carries the cam 15,which is' adapted to displace the tongue 4. V

16 is a valve-stem supporting the puppetvalve 17 within the passage-way18. This passage-way communicates with the fuelsupply and with theinterior'of the gas-engine. An open helical compression-spring 19 isadapted to hold the valve 17 normally closed upon its seat.

The use and operation of my device are as follows: As heretofore stated,this device is designed to be used in connection with gasenginesgoverning by the hit-and-miss principle. Thisgovernorisintended to beexclusively used for controlling a gas-engine that is driving a dynamo.In this event the electromagnet 8 is connected in circuit with thedynamo either in series in a constantcurrent circuit, such as producedfor the use of arc lamps, or in a circuit of constant potential, such asused for incandescent lights. In the former case the electromagnet willbe connected in series. In the latter it will be connected in parallelexactly in the same manner as the arc and incandescent lamps arerespectively connected in circuit. Normally the spring 6 holds thetongue 4 against the stop 7, so that the tongue is flexibly held in thepath of the cam 15, and when the cam is revolved the tongue is displacedby the cam,and thereby presses upon the stem 16, which opens the valve17 and admits a charge of gas into the engine. When the normal speed ofthe engine has been secured, the electromagnet 8 will be sufficientlypowerful to overcome the spring 6 and attract the armature 3, andthereby withdraw the tongue 4 out of the path of the stem.18, so thatthe cam 15 displaces the tongue. Under these conditions the stem 16 willnot be moved, as in the former example, and the charge Will not,therefore, be taken into the gas-engine, because the valve will notthereby be opened. Should the voltage decrease in value, then theattractive effect of the electromagnet 8 for its armature 3 will becorrespondingly decreased, and the spring 6 will once more pull thetongue 4 into the path of the stem 16,wl1en at the next revolution ofthe cam 15 the tongue will be displaced thereby, and being in the pathof the stem 16 the valve 17 will thereby be again opened and a chargeadmitted into the cylinder, as will be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art.

When the engine is driving a dynamo, any variation that may take placein the circuit will affect the current or voltage of the dynamo beforethe engine is affected by such change. The armature 3 readily andquickly responds to any variation or change that takes place in thecircuit of which the electromagnet forms a part, and the regulatingaction is produced before the velocity of the drivingshaft is altered,and by this means a much more constant speed is maintained than wherethe regulation is operated by a governor affected by the changes in thespeed of the engine.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a gas-engine and a dynamo driven thereby, of afuel-supply valve for the engine provided with a stem, a moving part ofsaid engine adapted to actuate the valve, a movable member normallyarranged in alinement with the valve-stem to form a connection betweenthe moving parts and the Valve-stem, an armature carried by the movablemember, an eleclromagnet in circuit with the dynamo adapted to move themovable member out of alinement with the valve-stem, a bracket mountedupon the engine to support the movable member, and aball-and-socketjointbetween the bracket and the movable member to permitof the movement of said member in two directions, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination with a gas-engine and a dynamo drh'en thereby of afuel-supply valve for the engine provided with a projecting stem, a camadapted to operate said valve, a movable tongue mounted on a stationarypart of the engine arranged intermediate the cam and the valve-stem,aspring for normally holding said tongue in alinement with the stem andthe cam to form a connection between said parts, and means for movingsaid tongue out of alinement with the valve-stem comprising an armaturesecured tothe tongue, an electromagnet arranged in circuit with thedynamo and adapted to move the armature, a support for saidelectromagnet, and means for adjusting said magnet upon its support,substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

VINCENT G. APPLE.

In presence of L. M. ARNOLD, O. R. APPLE.

